Friday, December 06, 2013

The Unions Got What They Wanted...Almost at Yesterday's Commission Meeting. By Geniusofdespair

They didn't get a veto proof vote. Lynda Bell, Steve Bovo and Sally Heyman voted against giving them back their 5% so they only got 8. Veto proof is 9. Zapata and Pepe Diaz were absent. This might prove a troublesome vote for Lynda's reelection campaign.

23 comments:

L
said...

I salute Bell, Bovo, and Heyman for standing up to the unions. Remember what happened to Alvarez and Seijas who did everything the unions demanded and who received full union support at campaign time? They were both recalled by 90% of the voters. Most people hate government unions.

Maria; Can you give more details? I am a non-union employee counted among the 2,700 mentioned in the Herald under the Mayor's purview. I do not earn over $100,000 - in fact I earn MUCH less. Since January 2008, my salary has decreased by over 20%. I know for a fact the county's pay system is inequitable (especially for non-union employees) but I can never get my hands around the issue. I would be interested in more specifics if you would be interested in sharing them.

Veto override is 2/3 of those Commissioners present when they take the vote. If all 13 are present for the override, you are correct that it will take 9 to override. Remember when they overrode the veto of the 5% restoration for the WASD workers a couple months back? I think there were only 7 Commissioners on the dais and they overrode it with 5 votes. Plus, Diaz sent a note to his colleagues that indicated he would be willing to support restoring the 5% for all of the unions. I could be wrong, but I believe he voted to give the 5% to WASD workers a couple of months ago.

Maria,Dont drink the Kool-Aid this is being reported as a pay raise when it fact is getting a 5% that was taken away from hard earned salaries. A 5% which is gone forever for the years this has been in place.

Gimenez had no problem giving Juan Kuryla a massive $300,000County Director's salary, a 70% increase while the current Port Director remains in his job and while all other employees get cuts. Kuryla's background includes reassignment from his Public Works post to a remote field location because of improprieties, personal bankruptcy, coworker love affair leading to divorce, shady dealings with potential port vendors and clients resulting in Inspector General investigation, scheming to get PBSJ a port contract at the same time PB was being indicted for fraud, a fraudulent scheme with convict Hardemon for material hauling from the Port, wining and dining family and friends on the county credit card on foreign junkets, an embarrassing episode in Dubai on County business, inability to show up for work before 10am, aggressive behavior toward law enforcement at traffic stops and other unstable episodes. He is favored by this administration and commission because of his ability to cater to their needs, including numerous junkets to foreign locations using a $500,000port budget item. The 2014 Port budget also includes a $5million item for payment in a legal judgment against the County for a judges ruling that the Port of Miami has a way of doling certain business permits illegally protecting incumbents -- ``creating a handful of entrenched privileged companies". The judge said evidence showed other ``established, qualified, competent and trustworthy,'' companies were denied permits even as some incumbents who didn't use their permits received automatic renewals. Kuryla works the backchannels and selection process, where privileged insiders are awarded business while those who are not tied into the system of lobbyists, commissioner aides and certain County staff are denied. Kuryla should be fired, not promoted. Divide his salary among honest employees. Stop the travel junkets for friends and family, save millions.

Both Port's so to speak - the Port of Miami and the Airport! Many should be going to jail, including elected's! What tax payer funded cash cows they've been from the vendors, contractors, sub contractors, lobbyists, nepotistic employee hires for no show jobs, bloated salary's, etc. - all at our expenses one way or the other. You can only offset so much of the costs in hidden taxes and fees to users of the "ports"!

glad to see commissioners making that dictator Gimenez keep his word. the recall should be on Gimenez. he cannot administrate and has no creativity to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Cuba Democracy does not work here- he needs to get that through his head!

glad to see commissioners making that dictator Gimenez keep his word. the recall should be on Gimenez. he cannot administrate and has no creativity to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Cuba Democracy does not work here- he needs to get that through his head!

All you whiners should be thanking the county employees for the sacrificing their pay so you could enjoy your tax break on your property. Oh, you don't remember your puny tax break? Gimenez cut taxes for every property in Miami-Dade, reducing revenues by $200 Million, and then garnished our wages to make up the difference. Well, you probably don't remember your puny tax break, but my W-2 has had $3,560 less every year for for the past three and half years. Enough of the whining, tea partiers. You want to fix broken sewers with me? I am sick of your sh*t.

I doubt that "most people hate government unions". The truth is that most people wish they had a union to support them with equitable wages and working conditions. With union labor accounting for less than 12% of the U.S. work force, it goes beyond reason the think that unions have been the cause of our economic downturn. By blaming unions for all that is bad is a smokescreen for the Republicans and many uneducated people believe it. Please study up on why we have unions and how unions helped build up our middle class. How are all these non union, low paying jobs working out for the working class? Last I heard most folks can't afford to live on $8 per hour.

In Detroit 2 mil residents turned into 700,000 because 1) Auto companies made numerous stupid decisions and 2) remaining residents hated having to pay overpaid public sector workers. Residents left leaving far too many public sector employees making far too much. That meant a much higher tax burden on the few remaining residents. Miami-Dade has already seen an exodus of taxpayers. There is never any excuse for Miami-Dade County to need 26,000 employees. How about trying to do more with less? Unions merely exploit greedy dumb elected officials.

Last Anon: exodus of taxpayers? Who left? The urban core of Miami-Dade is a sea of construction cranes, unlike the hollowed out downtown of Detroit.

How about trying to do more with less? How about you quit requiring 24-hour water service, 24-hour fire protection, 24-hour lock-up of criminals, 24-hour police protection, 24-hour airport and seaport operations, 24-hour monitoring of street signals and signs, and 24-hour trauma service at Jackson?

The main problem with the excessive number of Miami-Dade County employees is not the line service providers it is with the 8,000 to 10,000 supervisors. In the Fire Department alone there is a 1:2 ratio of supervisors to employees. Specifically, there are hundreds of supervisors managing 2 employees each. That is crazy. Countywide, each supervisor manages 5 employees or 1:5. There are 1,000's too many middle level bureaucrats. Too many relatives and friends have been hired. Yes, the County needs to fire or retire 2,000+ full time employees immediately. Or become another Stockton or Detroit.

The court in the recent Detroit bankruptcy decision opened the door on employees and pensioners. A number of cities who cannot meet their pension obligations are now looking at that option to start over again. Detroit retirees have begun cutting back expenses in anticipation of the cuts to come. If you don't have the money, you can't pay.

The question is whose wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, cousin, or best friend will go? Since performance is not a factor, I guess they have to start the relationship pecking order by rank order of political power.

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Quotes hall of fame - worth another look:

Jonathon Dunlop of Australia about the Miami Airport:"This is the most disorganized shambles of an airport that exists on this earth.''April 01, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment on Post__________________________________On "Colony Collapse Disorder":Anonymous said...I say lets wait till the last tree is going to be cut down, the last bit of oil used, the last lowland coastal areas flooded before we make any rash decisions that might effect the economy.April 21, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment_________________________________On Bee “Colony Collapse Disorder” being blamed on cell phones:Anonymous said...Hmmm. What are bees doing with cell phones, anyhow?April 20, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment_________________________________On South Florida Water Supply:Ron Littlepage said...Unfortunately, we know who would win when it comes to allowing development to run amok and it's not the wildlife.April 20, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment Post_________________________________Lesley Blackner said:In Florida, the sad reality is that government exists to serve the development machine, not the citizenry. That's why it's proper to say that in Florida we have government of the developer, by the developer and for the developer.April 22, 2007 Eye on Miami Post_________________________________On City of Miami and Miami Dade County giving $1,000,000 each to Jorge Perez’s Related Group (The Group's 2005 revenues were $3.25 billion.):"It makes as much sense as me donating half my paycheck to Warren Buffett.”May 6, 2007 Miami Herald Columnist Ana Menendez_________________________________On the FCAT Test:"'Florida is a serial mis-user of test scores.''Bob Schaeffer, director for Massachusetts-based FairTest.May 25, 2007 Miami Herald_________________________________Clifford Schulman (Greenberg Traurig Lobbyist):"This is the first time in 33 years that any one has accused me of fraud." June 28, 2007 Miami HeraldI say: hmm.__________________________________Max Rameau, Homeless Activist:"I respect Ron Book for his work with the Homeless Trust, but the Liberty City community and others have given broad support to this idea. I don't know that a big-time millionaire lobbyist can tell us what is best for Liberty City and the black community.'' July 28, 2007 Miami Herald__________________________________"After years of mismanagement under a board of political appointees and neighborhood activists, Miami-Dade County administrators have proposed a new way to run the troubled empowerment zone program. The plan: Bring in new political appointees and neighborhood activists."November 6, 2007 Miami Herald: Reporter Scott Hiaasen______________________________________"Saying "Greater Everglades" and "Northern Everglades" is not saying Everglades -- other places are deserving of being protected too, but there is only one Everglades. The main thing is to keep the 'Main Thing' the main thing -- which, lately, has not been the main thing." Bob Mooney - on Listserve "Everglades Commons"________________________________________"Does anyone in their right mind believe that Florida could conduct postal balloting without a major screw-up or scandal? Heavens, no! The whole country is keenly aware that our state is a sump hole of incompetence and corruption."Carl Hiaasen - March 16, 2008 Miami Herald_______________________________________On the Charter Review: "Commissioners want us to vote on their own pet changes, ideas the review team explicitly rejected. And, they're throwing their blatantly self-serving ballot questions at us at the same time. What a slap in the face to the charter review team — and to all of us!" Michael Lewis of Miami Today - April 10, 2008______________________________________On the Miami Dade County Commission:''Unfortunately, this is a commission that would build a cyanide factory next to a playground if you hired the right 12 lobbyists,'' Miami Lakes Councilman Michael Pizzi - May 14, 2008______________________________________"The days where we’re just building sprawl forever, those days are over. I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that’s not a smart way to build communities." President Barack Obama in Fort Meyers - February 10, 2009______________________________________"So."Dick Cheney's response when told that two thirds of Americans did not support the war in Iraq. - Time Magazine 2008______________________________________"It seems like a bad idea can always find a home in the Florida Legislature." - Howard Simon - Executive Director of Florida ACLU - March 24, 2010

______________________________________Complete this sentence: South Florida really needs a..."Regional plan for controlled growth (before it becomes a concrete jungle similar to Houston), and a completely new set of elected officials that make decisions based on what's good for the future of South Florida instead of what's good for their wallets. - Jack McCabe, Real Estate expert who predicted the housing boom's end. - August 29, 2011 Miami Herald